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Combine a gentle disposition, a beautiful golden coat, and you have the Golden Retreiver, perhaps, the most popular family dog of all time.

The breed was created by Sir Dudley Majoribanks, later to be known as Lord Tweedmouth, of Inverness Scotland. While his precise means of crossing breeds to create the Golden Retriever, is not exactly known, it is widely held, that he bred several breeds of sporting class dogs, like the now extinct Tweed Water Spaniel, as well as the Irish Setter and the Newfoundland still in existence today.

Lord Tweedmouth, an avid outdoorsman and hunter, wanted a dog, who was kind and gentle, yet with a spirited disposition. He desired a companion, who would be able to assist him to fetch or retrieve the waterfowl, Tweedmouth hunted on his estate.

The breed began as the Flat Coated Retriever, of the Golden Variety, in England circa 1903. It then became known as the Retriever, with golden and yellow varieties, and finally in 1920, it became known as the Golden Retriever officially. The breed came into Canada, in 1927. The American Kennel Club recognized the breed in 1925, and in 1938, The Golden Retriever Club of America was formed. The Golden Retriever is classified as a Sporting Dog, or a Gundog.

With it's beautiful coat, that ranges in colour from a pale white gold to a deep caramel gold, the Golden Retriever, has become one of the most easily identifiable dog breeds in the world. The Golden Retriever has dark brown soulful eyes, a softly rounded muzzle, and stands between 21 and 24 inches at the withers (Females are usually at the smaller end of the height and weight spectrum). Weighing up to about 70 lbs, they are ideal companions for families, and outdoors people, who have time to devote to their dog. Golden Retrievers require a fair bit of maintenance with their coat, which requires almost daily brushing. Bathing is also a frequent necessity, however being docile, caring for them is easy. They have a dual layered coat, consisting of a smooth surface coat, and a dense water repellent undercoat. Caring for their ears is also a vital necessity, as dirty ears, can lead to infections.

The breed is gentle and devoted, friendly to most, even strangers. They tend to get along well with most other animals, and cannot be considered aggressive. The breed loves to be outdoors, and especially likes to spend time in the water.

Whether one searches a breeder, a shelter or a pet shop for a Golden Retriever, a few points must be clear, when getting a

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